I recently chatted with our Sales Manager Deyna Weir to find out more about the business, recent changes and what goes on behind the scenes at Cab Direct.
How long have you been working with the company and tell us more about your background?
“I’m the Sales Manager for our taxi brand, Cab Direct. I’ve been with Allied Vehicles Group for six years now and have been fortunate to develop my role over the years. I first started as a Sales Adviser for our Mobility brand selling wheelchair accessible vehicles to personal customers. Allied are great at developing their staff and I was pleased to be promoted to Team Leader after two years and then to Call Centre Manager. Before I moved to Allied, I used to manage sales of solar panels so moving to the motor trade was an interesting change for me. Recent internal department changes mean I’m now responsible for both the Cab Direct and Allied Mobility call centres which is a challenging role that I thoroughly enjoy.”
Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. I love to eat out, try new foods and especially love travelling. Next year I’m planning to go to Rome and visit my ideal holiday destination, Riviera Maya in Mexico!”
So, what does a normal day look like for you?
“I love my job! Every day is different so you don’t know what you’re going in to. I manage a team of 10 across the two brands and our taxi sales team sell a range of purpose-built taxis and private hire vehicles. I’m constantly speaking to the team to support them with pricing queries, deals and offers. I monitor the emails, voicemails and general enquiries that come into the business and forward them onto the team. I work closely with our manufacturers to discuss stock availability and ensure we get the best prices for our customers. We offer so many different brands of taxis so it keeps me on my toes making sure all the information we hold is up to date.
It’s my job to ensure we’re meeting our sales targets but more importantly make sure our customers are happy with the car they’ve purchased.”
Obviously, things have changed drastically this year. Tell us a bit about what Allied is doing to keep our staff and customers safe?
“Allied is doing a good job keeping us safe. Those of us who are able to work from home are doing so and if we do need to come into the office we get our temperature checked, wear face masks, sanitise our hands regularly and follow one way systems to maintain social distance at all times.
Many of our customers are happy to look online and buy over the phone. However, we can still offer safe, socially distanced home demonstrations and our representatives ensure the vehicles is thoroughly cleaned before and after the demo. They also wear masks, gloves and keep their distance they conduct the outdoor demonstration.“
How has business been since the UK lockdown?
“A huge part of our facility shut down over lockdown and COVID-19 has hit the taxi trade particularly hard. We did see trade start to pick up when lockdowns began to ease from June onwards, but with the various different lockdown measures currently in place in different parts of the country we know this will be another challenging period for our customers. We remain open and committed to providing the market with the best possible deals that we can.”
Finally, what do you enjoy the most about your role ?
“I enjoy working with people, I’m very sociable and I’ve built a great rapport with my team and other members of management. Managing people is interesting as they all have different needs and personalities. I love the variety of the role and under normal circumstances, I enjoy the buzz of the office. We usually have morning meetings and getting everyone ready for the day and this is something we have continued albeit in a digital format at the moment! I am really looking forward to being back in the office once we can return.”
If you want to chat with one of our experienced taxi sales specialists, please contact us today! Call the number at the top of the page or enquire online.